Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[Raina]

Hi all,

 

 

I know that if you keep reptile eggs in an incubator 1 - 2 degrees lower than the 'normal' temp you'll end up with females.

 

 

so i was wondering, will the same happen with chicken eggs

[Griffin]

There are some members on the Practical Poultry trying that as an experiment at the moment. It'll be interesting to see what results they get! Surely it can't be as simple as that though???

[Raina]

I hope that Lower Temp = Female chicks really happens as then no chicks would have to be culled

[laurmurf]

i think the huge suppliers of chicks to the poultry industry would have cottoned on to this trick if it worked... good to have a try though!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

but how do you lower a broodies temp on the nest to get girls ??

 

Sha x

[Egluntyne]

I'm sure the breeders would have hit upon this before now if it was correct.

 

If you lower the temperature too far in your incubator,you are unlikely to have a successful hatch.......and any that do hatch are likely to hatch late.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I don't think so either.

 

Birds have their sex determined at fertilisation (much like people, except I think that for birds, XY leads to female and XX to male - the opposite of us). So changing temperature wouldn't affect them, except that many would never hatch.

 

So all you hatchers will have to keep planning what to do with the inevitable boys .

[Lewis]

I know its true in reptiles but I doubt it to be true in birds and could just result in the chicks not hatching.